SENATE BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

[Second Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 2980

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  NOVEMBER 13, 2025

      The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 2980 (2R).

      As reported, this bill requires health care professionals to report cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motor neuron disease (MND).

      The bill provides that, consistent with federal and State privacy laws, the Department of Health (department) is to require health care professionals who screen for, diagnose, or provide therapeutic services to patients with ALS or MND, to confidentially report to the New Jersey State Health Assessment Data System (system) all known cases of ALS and MND in a manner to be specified by the department no later than six months after a patient is diagnosed with ALS or MND.

      Under the bill, any information reported to the system is to be reported in a manner to protect against the disclosure of any confidential or personal identifying information of any patient or health care professional.

      The department may enter into agreements to provide the data reported to the system with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and any other successor agency, local health officers, or researchers of the study of ALS or MND for public health and research purposes.  Any data provided pursuant to such agreements is to be reported in a manner to protect against the disclosure of any confidential or personal identifying information of any patient or health care professional.

      No later than 12 months following the bill’s effective date, the commissioner is to develop and make available on its Internet website written, educational materials that provide information about the system, including information on how to access the datasets, statistics, and information regarding ALS and MND reported to the system pursuant to the bill.

      As reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 2980 (2R) is identical to Senate Bill No. 4030 (1R), which was also reported by the committee on this date.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      This bill has not been certified as requiring a fiscal note.